All the Nitty Gritty

Gary Demuth @GaryDemuth

Thursday

Mar 14, 2019 at 6:00 PM

Since completing their epic 50th anniversary tour in 2017, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band has lost one key member but gained three more to become a six-piece ensemble for the first time since their early jug band days.

For co-founder Jeff Hanna, the new line-up has provided a new lease on the band's long life.

"With these guys, we're having the best time we've had in 20 years," he said. "We feel renewed."

After longtime multi-instrumentalist John McEuen announced his departure from the band in December 2017 at the conclusion of their 50th anniversary tour, Hanna, drummer and harmonica player Jimmie McFadden and keyboardist and accordion player Bob Carpenter were joined by Jim Photoglo on bass and acoustic guitar, Ross Holmes on fiddle and mandolin and Jaime Hanna on guitar.

Jaime also is Jeff Hanna's son, so that only added to the elder Hanna's sense of renewal.

"The basic vibe is so up and positive, and the music — we're hearing surprises from Jaime and Ross all night," he said. "And they're encouraging us in the same way to take more chances. That's important for a band that's been out there for over 53 years."

The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band will be in concert Thursday at the Stiefel Theatre for the Performing Arts, 151 S. Santa Fe. The band previously performed at the Stiefel in May 2016 as part of their 50th anniversary tour.

During its 53 years, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band has been a great influence on modern country music, American roots music and country rock. Its influence can be heard in artists such as Jackson Browne (who briefly was a band member), the Eagles, Rascal Flatts, Mumford & Sons and just about every modern country rock act.

Founded in 1966 by Hanna and McFadden in Southern California, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band began as a traditional jug band but soon became a cornerstone of the burgeoning folk-rock community of that era that also included The Byrds, Buffalo Springfield, Poco, the Flying Burrito Brothers and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young.

"It was just an incredible gathering of musicians and a great period of music," Hanna said.

The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band's first self-titled album was released in 1967. By 1968, they had added electric guitars and drums to create the high-energy country-rock sound that would define them for the next 50 years.

"When we started, I didn't think we'd be playing for five years, much less 50," Hanna said. "Not everyone was as fortunate as we were or had the commercial success we did. Talent and hard work will only get you so far. There's a lot of luck involved in it, too."

Luck came their way with their breakthrough 1970 album "Uncle Charlie & His Dog Teddy." That album featured their cover of Jerry Jeff Walker's "Mr. Bojangles," which was a major chart hit and became their signature song.

"Who would have thought that a four minute waltz about an old man and his dog would be a great hit?" Hanna said. "The people who bought the record were smarter than we were."

In 1972, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band recorded what would become the triple album "Will the Circle Be Unbroken," which included many of the icons of country, folk, bluegrass and blues, including Roy Acuff, Mother Maybelle Carter, Doc Watson and Earl Scruggs. That album now is considered a landmark recording in American music and was voted both into the Grammy Hall of Fame and the U.S. Library of Congress.

The band's other hits include "Fishin' in the Dark," "Long Hard Road (The Sharecropper's Dream)" and "Modern Day Romance."

For their current tour, Hanna said the band will reach into their 50 year-plus songbook to find new life in some "deep tracks."

"The star of our shows has always been the songbook," he said. "There's a lot of great songs out there people many not be that familiar with."

Hanna said it may sound like a cliche, but all he and his fellow band members want is for audiences to have a good time at their shows.

"With the times we're living in now, it's a big deal to have a good time," he said. "The audience adds so much to our shows. When we share this music, it's just a communal atmosphere out there."

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